Sheaffer Triumph Imperial
The Triumph Imperials were 1990s pens that invoked an earlier generation, with names that complemented the marketing. As part of Sheaffer’s practice of re-surfacing names for new pens, this pen is a new issue of the early 1960s Imperial IV! Actually, it’s more Imperial than Triumph, a near copy of the 1960s’ models, the only noticeable difference being the 1990 converter filler instead of the earlier Touchdown. The pen is in like-new condition, showing virtually no use wear in its dark grey plastic body. The gold trim is clean, and the friction cap grips well. The nib is a full medium, wet and smooth, a fast writer. This is a pen that one need not worry about; it will write forever and look great, but maybe give it a case to protect the plastic?
Sold Price:
$95
Smooth Point
And it is! In addition to Smooth, everything about this pen is large, inside and out. It’s a full 5 ¼” long and half inch thick just below the cap edge, and needed my only size 22 sac. This is a 1930s pen, in cafe-creme and brown marbled celluloid. It has a reddish brown peaked crown and matching flat tassie, and very simple trim in gold-colored plate. The name comes from its clip, which indeed has “Smooth Point” engraved down its length, and there is no other imprint or identification. The nib is a Signature, seen on many budget pens from the 1930s, and an 8, in scale with the rest of the pen; it writes a fast wet fine/medium, and it’s Smooth! This pen shows a little wear on the barrel under the cap, from removing and replacing the cap; also a bit of plate is missing from the lever; otherwise it appears new. You can disappear with this pen for a month, write every day, and have ink left… enjoy it!
Sold Price:
$70
Southern
This is the first Southern Pen Company pen I’ve seen, and it’s a beauty. Southern, about which very little is published, was apparently a Petersburg, West Virginia company, perhaps related to Arnold, a prolific manufacturer of low-cost pens in the 1930s and 1940s. It’s clearly a 1930’s pen, in black celluloid with (I’m told) yellow, green, and turquoise swirls in the cap and barrel and even in the crown and tassie. I would have so loved to have seen the original rod stock from which this was turned; it’s a fascinating pen. At 5.2″ long and more than a half inch thick, this is a pen for a larger hand, and it is very well balanced. It shows some age wear, and the evidence of a less-than perfectly fitting cap in scratching around the base of the barrel. Also, this pen does not take a huge fill of ink; enough, but not what one would expect in such a large pen. The trim, although not fancy, has lasted nicely, and its gold plating is intact, except on the center cap ring, where it has mostly worn off. The brand is clearly and deeply marked in the lever. The nib is quite large, branded by Southern, and noted to be of Durium, with 14K point. It polished pretty well, and lost some of its plate in the effort to remove some pitting. The nib writes well and fast, a relatively soft fine/extra fine.
Sold Price:
$60
Stilan
Although I was able to find two similar pens on offer in Italy by a seller/friend, he knew nothing about them. This is a substantial, handsome, elegant pen at 13.8cm long capped, in black and darker pearl celluloid in a marbled pattern. It is very clean and shiny, no scratches of note, and the gold trim is solid and clean. The button filler is firm and fills well. The imprint reads “Stilan”, with quote marks (often seen with Italian vintage pens), and is complete. The section is tapered with grip threads, an unusual feature. The nib is plated, shows some plate loss, and is engraved with “A.B.T” and and “Osmit”, the latter presumably referring to the tip alloy. It writes a full wet fine, with some flex. A case is recommended to protect its very fine finish.
Sold Price:
$200
Stratford
This Stratford, probably from the later 1930s, is a very pretty pen that seems to have mostly escaped the ravages of time. Its wrapped celluloid is in a snakeskin pattern in grey and silver, and with its two gold cap rings it is quite attractive. The barrel and cap are largely unmarked, very nice and shiny. There is a little spreading around the lever which does not affect the pen’s functioning. The plated trim is corroded, was only lightly polished to not remove the remaining plate. At 5⅛” long, it is a full-sized pen that feels very nice in the hand. The nib is a two-tone Durium, imprinted to note that it is warranted 14k gold plate, which to me always makes one question the warranting process. The nib writes well, though, a firm fine. It seems to want to write small letters.
Sold Price:
$44
Stylomine
Stylomine was a very successful French company, not famous but a prolific manufacturer of good quality pens and pencils. They invented the “accordion” bulb filler in the 1930s, an accordion sac over a glass breathing tube with a glass ampule to hold the ink; in addition, although Parker got the credit for the first hooded nib, Stylomine’s preceded theirs to market. Their 303 series was their biggest seller from the 1930s-1950s, in various styles and sizes. This 303 is a postwar pen, in black plastic (possibly Bakelite), with the accordion bulb filler and plastic ampule and breathing tube. It’s a slimmer pen, .9cm at the case of the cap, but at 12.5cm long capped, standard length for a French pen. The pen fills easily, and writes a smooth fine. It shows some wear, but is a nice writer. A nice writer and a good addition to a French collection.
Sold Price:
$59
Stylomine
As sometimes happens in pendom, there are pens that are not NoNames but do not have an unambiguous brand identification. This pen came to me from a knowledgeable French collector as a Stylomine, has a Stylomine nib and is made of Bakelite, which was characteristic of the brand. However, it is missing Stylomine’s customary prominent barrel imprint (it does have a tiny “03” imprinted in the barrel base, a probable Stylomine indication) and is a lever-filling pen, which is uncommon among pre-WWII Stylomines. So, until proven otherwise, I list it as a Stylomine because I don’t believe further research will bring additional clarity. Regardless of its provenance, it is without doubt a very nice prewar French pen. The black Bakelite body shows some age, but the trim is very clean, including the spade-shaped clip. At 12.5cm long, it has typical length for a French pen. Its nib, as noted, is a Stylomine 303, which writes a wet medium line with a breath of flex.
Sold Price:
$89
Stylomine 303C
The Stylomines are among my favorite French pens. This pen is an example of the post-WWII 303Cs, which came in a range of sizes and, I have heard, colors, although black is all I’ve seen. I believe it is made of resin, which, if true, is likely why it has held up so well. Although this is one of the smaller 303C’s, 11.5cm long capped and about .9cm thick just below the cap, it fits very well in a smaller hand. The pen is unusually clean and unmarked. It is an accordion filler; you remove the blind cap and pump the filler until ink appears in the clear vial. The accordion sac may be original, because this pen had the appearance of old store stock. The imprint is elegant and complete, down to the 303 on the clip. The nib, marked Stylomine 303, is most likely original, and writes a wet fine line with a touch of flex. A nice fast writer that can be used every day; please treat it to a case?
Sold Price:
$110
Summit S175
The typical Summit is a S125, known as the workingman’s Summit; this pen is a S175, which has been described as more highly regarded than the S125, but from roughly the same time period, the late 1930’s until 1950 or so. This pen is a post WWII Mark 2 175, in thick black celluloid. It is 13 cm long, with gold trim and two black jewels, and is exceptionally clean and free of scratches and wear. The original gold nib is a firm fine/medium, but it is English, so there is some give in the nib.
Sold Price:
$98
Summit S175
Probably an undescribed S175 variant, it is marked . Either way, this S175-inscribed pen is otherwise typical, 131mm long capped, with the dark blue chased-pattern plastic, the celluloid crown, and the S175-correct stepped clip. The cap and barrel are very clean, without significant scratch or blemish. The pen carries an original gold nib, stamped “Summit 14CT Gold”, and it writes a wet, soft italic BB, a rare nib to find.
Sold Price:
$115
Swan Self-Filler
This is a shiny black celluloid Swan Self-Filler, a postwar pen, probably late 1940s. It is a very nice user pen, lever-filled (“Self-Filler” means that you don’t need to open it up to fill it…sorry, it doesn’t actually fill itself.) This pen is a typical Swan — 125mm long, nicely proportioned for its length, smallish but doesn’t feel small in the hand. The imprint is deep and complete. There is a little, generally not easily seen swelling from cap posting, but this is typical for these pens. The celluloid shows a few minor marks of use. The gold trim on clip, lever, and cap rings is untarnished and bright. The nib, which was described to me as “not typically English soft”, is indeed firmer than one would expect, but the nib’s identity answers the question: it’s an Eternal nib, from a 1930’s American Mabie Todd pen. That said, it writes a very nice fine to fine edge of medium line with a little bit of feedback. Nice pen, can withstand daily use.
Sold Price:
$98
